Tractor-trailers are subject to numerous laws and regulations in an effort to increase the safety of highway traffic. One example of a regulation that attempts to increase highway safety is 49 C.F.R. §571.108 (“the Regulation”). One stated purpose of the Regulation is to enhance the conspicuity of motor vehicles on the public roads so that their presence is perceived and their signals understood, both in daylight and darkness.
One of the requirements of the Regulation pertains to tractor-trailers, and requires the trailers to have retroreflective sheeting, reflex reflectors, or a combination thereof, along, for example, the sides of the trailers. Retroreflective sheeting must consist of a smooth, flat, transparent exterior film with retroreflective elements embedded or suspended beneath the film so as to form a non-exposed retroreflective optical system. Retroreflective sheeting must comply with ASTM D4956 standards, except for photometric requirements, which can be found in FIG. 29 of the Regulation.
The Regulation requires that retroreflective sheeting be applied in a pattern of alternating white and red color segments to the sides and rear of the trailer, and to the rear of the truck tractor. Each red or white segment generally must have a width of not less than fifty (50) mm, and a length of one hundred fifty (150) to four hundred fifty (450) mm. However, the strip of reflective sheeting need not be a continuous strip of alternating red and white segments along the side of the trailer, as long as not less than half of the length of the trailer is covered and the spaces are distributed as evenly as practicable.